Less Is More

1. Capitalism's growth imperative is driving ecological collapse

Capitalism has tipped us out of balance with the living world.

The relentless pursuit of growth is at the heart of our ecological crisis. Capitalism, as a system, is organized around the imperative of constant expansion, or 'growth': ever-increasing levels of industrial extraction, production, and consumption. This growth is measured as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which has become the prime indicator of economic progress.

However, this growth comes at a tremendous cost to our planet:

• Material consumption has exploded from 7 billion tons per year in the early 1900s to over 92 billion tons by 2017
• Carbon emissions have risen fivefold since 1950, reaching 37 billion tons in 2019
• We have already crossed four of the nine planetary boundaries identified by scientists

The pursuit of growth is not just an economic strategy; it has become an ideology - 'growthism' - that permeates our culture and politics. This ideology justifies the continued exploitation of nature and human labor, even as we face the dire consequences of ecological breakdown.

2. The myth of green growth and technological salvation

'Green growth' is not a thing. It has no empirical support.

The promise of green growth - the idea that we can continue economic expansion while reducing our ecological impact - is a comforting but dangerous illusion. Proponents argue that technological innovations and efficiency improvements will allow us to 'decouple' GDP growth from resource use and environmental impact.

However, the evidence tells a different story:

• Despite significant improvements in efficiency, global material and energy use continues to rise
• Renewable energy growth is being outpaced by overall energy demand growth
• Even with 100% clean energy, continued economic growth would still drive resource extraction and ecosystem destruction

The belief in technological salvation, such as negative emissions technologies like BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage), is equally problematic. These unproven technologies are being used as an excuse to delay necessary emissions reductions, gambling with the future of our planet.

3. Degrowth: A path to ecological balance and human flourishing

Degrowth begins as a process of taking less. But in the end it opens up whole vistas of possibility.

Degrowth offers a radical alternative to the growth paradigm. It proposes a planned downscaling of energy and resource use in high-income countries to bring the economy back into balance with the living world. This doesn't mean austerity or deprivation, but rather a focus on human well-being and ecological stability over GDP growth.

Key aspects of degrowth include:

• Reducing unnecessary production and consumption
• Shortening the working week and distributing labor more evenly
• Expanding public services and commons
• Prioritizing use-value over exchange-value in economic activities

Degrowth challenges us to reimagine what constitutes a good life and how we can achieve it without endless economic expansion. It's about creating an economy of sufficiency and reciprocity with the living world.

4. Rethinking progress: Beyond GDP to well-being and sustainability

Goals for more growth should specify more growth of what and for what.

GDP is a flawed measure of societal progress. It fails to account for the social and ecological costs of economic activity, and it doesn't reflect improvements in human well-being beyond a certain point. We need new indicators that capture what really matters for human flourishing and ecological health.

Alternative approaches to measuring progress:

• Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI): Adjusts for income inequality and environmental costs
• Better Life Index: Incorporates factors like housing, education, health, and life satisfaction
• Planetary boundaries framework: Measures human activity against key ecological thresholds

By adopting more holistic measures of progress, we can shift our focus from maximizing GDP to improving quality of life within ecological limits. This reorientation is crucial for guiding policy decisions towards true sustainability and well-being.

5. Addressing inequality as a key to solving ecological crisis

Justice is the antidote to growth.

Inequality is a major driver of ecological breakdown and a barrier to sustainable solutions. The richest 10% of the world's population are responsible for almost half of lifestyle carbon emissions, while the poorest bear the brunt of climate impacts.

Addressing inequality is crucial for several reasons:

• It reduces the pressure for continued economic growth to alleviate poverty
• It decreases high-impact luxury consumption by the wealthy
• It enables a more equitable distribution of resources, allowing for improved well-being without increased production

Solutions to inequality include:

• Progressive taxation and wealth redistribution
• Universal basic services (healthcare, education, housing)
• Shorter working hours and job guarantees
• Democratic control over key economic decisions

By creating a more equal society, we can improve human welfare while reducing ecological pressure, making degrowth both possible and desirable.

6. Reimagining our relationship with nature: Lessons from Indigenous wisdom

We are not the defenders of the river. We are the river.

Indigenous philosophies offer profound insights for reimagining our relationship with nature. Many Indigenous cultures see humans as part of a broader community of living beings, rejecting the nature-culture divide that characterizes Western thought.

Key principles of Indigenous ecological wisdom:

• Reciprocity: Taking only what's needed and giving back to ecosystems
• Personhood of nature: Recognizing rivers, forests, and other natural entities as subjects with rights
• Interconnectedness: Understanding the deep interdependencies within ecosystems

Modern science is increasingly confirming the validity of these perspectives, from the intelligence of plants to the complex symbiotic relationships that underpin ecosystems. Incorporating these ideas into our economic and legal systems - such as granting legal personhood to rivers and forests - can help foster a more sustainable and regenerative relationship with the living world.

7. Transforming the economy: Practical steps towards a post-capitalist world

Abundance is revealed to be the antidote to growth.

Moving beyond capitalism requires concrete changes to how our economy functions. While the task may seem daunting, there are clear steps we can take to begin this transformation.

Practical measures for building a post-growth economy:

• End planned obsolescence and shift to durable, repairable goods
• Cut advertising to reduce artificial demand
• Shift from ownership to usership through sharing economies
• Eliminate food waste and scale down ecologically destructive industries
• Implement a cap on resource use and waste, tightening it annually
• Reform the money system to be debt-free and aligned with ecological limits

These changes would not only reduce our ecological impact but also improve quality of life by eliminating unnecessary work and consumption. The goal is to create an economy of sufficiency and reciprocity, focused on meeting human needs rather than endless accumulation.

8. The power of democracy in shaping a sustainable future

We have a political system that allows a few people to sabotage our collective future for their own private gain.

Genuine democracy is crucial for transitioning to a sustainable economy. Research shows that when people make collective decisions about resource use, they tend to choose sustainable practices that benefit future generations. However, our current political systems are often captured by powerful economic interests that prioritize short-term profits over long-term ecological stability.

Steps to enhance democracy for sustainability:

• Remove corporate money from politics
• Democratize economic decision-making (e.g., worker representation on company boards)
• Strengthen local and participatory forms of governance
• Reform global institutions to give greater voice to the global South

By expanding democracy and giving people a real say in economic and environmental decisions, we can unleash the collective wisdom necessary to navigate the ecological crisis and build a more sustainable future.

Last updated: September 1, 2024